Taming the Dragon
by Tooki
Summary: Aren't you going to ask me to come upstairs? I managed to say this playfully, not slathered with the eagerness I was feeling. After all, it was Granger, and I was…me. T for language.
1. Closing Time

_**Disclaimer**: None of the character's below are mine. Never have, never will be. _

_**Summary:** Draco and Hermione meet in a club years after the war that rid the world of Voldermort. It's just drabble over a ship I like, but I know is and never will be existent. I heavily edited this. And Hermione is OOC. You've been warned. And people mentioned that it was long, so I turned it into two chapters._

_**The Dragon Taming Lion**_

I gazed at the woman beside me out of the corner of my eye. My cigarette was sagging between my fingers, forgotten for the moment. She was different. There was no other word for it. Just..._different_. I frowned a bit and sighed without realizing it. Of course she heard me.

Her face was smiling, but I knew it was a mask. It was a good mask though. Everyone around her believed she was happy. They knew her story. Well, they knew the heavily edited story that proclaimed her glory throughout every newspaper in both the Muggle and our world of magic. But I knew better.

She raised her eyebrow questioningly at me. I was trapped, and I knew it. I averted my gaze, and tapped my cigarette into the ashtray.

"Was that a sigh of exasperation? Or have you finally just run out of words?" I refrained from snorting. It really wasn't the kind of thing a man of _my _standard should be caught doing, but I was drunk. Run out of things to say? No. I still had a lot more to say. I've barely scraped the surface, Madame. Who are you kidding? I could say so much to her, but that would involve saying things that I didn't want to hear myself saying out loud. I'm sure she wouldn't appreciate half of it either. It was hard enough hearing the words roll around in my _own_ head. Why share the insanity?

I showcased my trademark smirk, and then took a deep breath in. I straightened myself up, and put out the cigarette. Then I turned to face her. I gave her the look, and refrained from smirking once again, knowing how uncomfortable it made her feel.

She was gorgeous. Her hair was no more the frizzy mass. No, she learned to tame it a little better. Her eyes were what really caught my attention though. They gave her little act away. The pain and beauty of them were entrancing. Hermione, though mature beyond her years while in school, was finally a woman. About damn time. No more an uptight, brainy, little, know-it-all. No. That girl was long gone. Gone long before it should have been even. But still, I can't complain. Granger was damn hot.

"You caught me, Granger. Nothing could ever get past you, could it." It was a statement, not a question. We both knew the answer, and we both smiled.

I gave my empty glass a glance, and then slid my gaze to her own cup, half-empty, and set to the side. Obviously, she was done, and so was I. But what was that to stop me? I grabbed my glass, and raised it to her. This time, both brows were raised, an amused smile dancing on her lips. She slinked slender fingers around her glass, and raised it to mine.

"To a night where the Lion and the Dragon finally made amends," we both clicked our glasses, Hermione draining the rest of what was left in her cup, and slamming the cup back onto the bar. She stood up, stretching long arms into the air, fingers laced together, as she un-cramped her body. I couldn't help but stare openly, and appreciatively. She caught me once again, and shook her head with a knowing smile. I raised my brow, giving off a rather innocent-boy look, and I was rewarded with a quiet snicker.

"It's been fun, Granger"

"It has, hasn't it Malfoy? What a surprise..." she gave me a playful wink, as we both began to head for the exit of the club.

As we exited, the chilly night air hit us both. I saw the shiver run up her spine, and I obligingly took my jacket off, and wrapped it around her bare shoulders. Before she could protest, I quieted her with a finger to her lips.

"What? Can't a Malfoy be a gentleman every once in awhile? I mean, I took lessons for _years_ on proper etiquette..." Giving her a quick glance, I knew what she was about to say, so I finished before she could get a word in, "...and I think it's about time I put them to use." She smiled.

We began to walk. The streets were surprisingly crowded, and we quiet. The noises around us quickly consumed the silence though. I, for one, was too lost in my own thoughts. I needed time to sort, and examine. Draco Malfoy always had control over his emotions...so why was it now that this control was slowly sliding out of my firm grip? I looked at her. It was more of a nervous shift of the eyes, which I quickly averted before she could catch me. Her lower lip was placed gently between her teeth, as she absently chewed it. She seemed to be in the same predicament as me...well, she seemed to be deep in thought at least.

Why was I so nervous? How could this woman have such a large impact on me in a mere four hours? If she were anyone else, I'd have her slammed up against the pole we were passing at this moment. Rough and rowdy sex right there and then. But I didn't _want_ to be rough and rowdy with her. I wanted to be gentle, and thorough. Very thorough. For once in my life, I found myself not caring about what _I_ wanted, but what _she_ wanted. What was I thinking! I growled with frustration.

She seemed to snap out of her reverie, and jerked her head up to look at me, eyes showing her concern. Damn those eyes. The muscles around my own loosened, and my eyes widened. I didn't mean for that to happen. Damn.

"What's the matter, Malfoy? And don't say 'nothing' either." Her eyes now narrowed dangerously, with an unspoken threat. She'd heard enough lies in the past couple years, and I knew she didn't deserve to hear anymore. But, I _was_ Draco Malfoy, after all. And nothing was going to change that. Ever.

"Nothing..." I replied with a shrug. Slowly facing forward again, hands in my pockets, and an amused smirk firmly in place. What else is new? I saw her glaring at me, but I still continued to smile. I was suffering, so it was only fair to share, wasn't it? This death-glare she had leveled on me as we kept walking, didn't help me at all though. It was a major turn-on, and I wanted to smash my head against another streetlight pole we were passing.

_One More chapter._


	2. Surprise

_See previous chapter for disclaimer and summary. It's always best to start there anyways._

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Way to go, Draco. _I muttered darkly inside my head. Good plan. Really. She was still glaring at me. Problem. I was about ready to shag the other pole we were approaching. _Fuck_. I tried to chuckle. Well, I _did_ chuckle, but it kind of cracked, as my nerves mutated it. Kick me in the face, what the hell was wrong with me?

Before I knew it, a rather strong hand was cracking me upside the head. My vision blurred for a second, as my hand instinctively flew up to the injured spot. I said KICK me, not hit me.

"What was _that_ for!" I half growled, half muttered, trying to keep my temper down. God, this woman was really messing me up.

"_That_," she said rather smugly, as she straightened her gaze ahead once again, "was for being an insufferable prat!"

I choked back a laugh. I hadn't heard that one for years. Since Hogwarts, and if I do recall correctly, it was from the very same lips. But this time, it wasn't full of malice. It was said lightly as if it were a commonly known fact. I sighed again, and couldn't help but smile. Draco Malfoy, you have far to go. Apparently I hadn't grown up as much as I liked to think I had. Because when she said it, I knew it was true.

I snaked an arm around her waist, and I felt her tense. I soon felt contracted muscles quickly slide back into a relaxed state, and I pulled her closer to my body. I knew she was cold, but her Gryffindor stubbornness would never let her admit that she was un-wise to not have brought a jacket. A warm jacket, because she obviously had a low body-temperature. I was sure I could fix that quick though...

I mentally slapped myself. No, I couldn't. If I _could_ I'd have her plastered against this pole were passing right this second. I never want to see another pole again in my life. I know, a rather hopeless wish. I slowly let the noise of the crowd drift me off to the world of my battling thoughts, as we walked further on.

"Well, we're here," her voice startled me. We're where? I glanced quickly around me. The street was now empty, save for a wind-blown newspaper skirting the curb. I glanced up to my right, and saw in front of me an elegant apartment building. My pale eyebrows shot up, and I looked down at her. She was looking at me expectantly, waiting for me to say something.

"You're apartment...?"

"Yes. My apartment." she smiled at me. And I paled. Why does she keep doing that? Fuck, why does she _stop_ doing that?

"...Draco? _Draco_!" I heard her exasperated voice, and I was snapped back to reality. Apparently she had been talking to me, but I was too caught up in...other things that included staring and fantasizing. Oh wait...she was talking to me again. I looked straight at her, and let her know that she now had my full attention with the bonus of me actually listening this time.

"I was just saying thank-you. Thank-you for the jacket for one..." she said as she slipped my leather coat off her shoulders, and handed it back to me. "…thank-you for walking me home, and thank-you for listening. I appreciate it. I haven't talked about..._it_...to anyone. It was nice to let it out, and even better to know that I wasn't as alone as I thought I was." She smiled, placed a cool hand on my cheek, and moved onto her tip-toes to place a warm kiss onto my other cheek.

Before she could slip the hand away, I grabbed it firmly into my own, and brushed my equally warm lips across her knuckles.

"Aren't you going to ask me to come upstairs?" I managed to say this playfully, not slathered with the eagerness I was feeling. After all, it was Granger, and I was…me. Regretfully, she declined my question with a gentle laugh as she pulled her hand away.

"Goodnight, Malfoy..." her eyes grew hard and serious, and I knew what she said next, she honestly felt, "...and really, thank-you for all you've done for me tonight. Listening was the greatest thing anyone has done for me in a long time." With that, she turned around. She left me behind as she climbed the stairs up to the front door of the building. I watched her pull out her key, and unlock the door.

My eyes watched her every move. My gaze was so intent, it seemed that I had suddenly magnified her body, and every detail of it was close enough to touch. I reached my arms out to her, and to my surprise, my hands met silk, and a small waist, which I quickly enveloped in a close embrace.

I lowered my head onto her shoulder, as her hand was still on the handle, the door fully open now. I heard her sharp intake of breath, as she slowly turned her head so she could see my face.

My hands spread across her stomach, digits feeling the soft flesh beneath the thin material. I gently pressed my body against her backside, guiding her through the door, a victorious smirk upon my lips once again. She obliged.

"You didn't think you'd get away that easy, did you?" I whispered quietly into her ear, and to my surprise, her lips quickly slid into a smile that could only be found on a Quidditch player's face after winning the Cup.

"I _hoped_ not. I would have been severely disappointed Mr. Malfoy." And with that, she whirled around in my grasp, grabbed me by my collar, and dragged me into her building. A building, which I will gladly add, that I did not leave for a _very_ long time.

Who knew that the Lion would have won the battle against the Dragon?

I sure the hell didn't. But who's to complain?

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_I'm not into writing fan-fiction. This was just a 'very bored, very late, ooo look what I found' kind of deal. But still review if you like. Flame me, love me, hate me, send me money. It's all good :) Thanks for reading! _

_P.S. sorry for any grammar/spelling mistakes. If I was more serious about this, I'd request a beta : _


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